Disclaimer—Recognizable characters belong to Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. No copyright infringement intended. Any similarity to events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

Author's Notes—Talk about a crazy long arc. Thanks, everybody, for continuing to put up with me, particularly since I had hoped to get this posted in its entirety before Season 4 started. Whoops... Many thanks to Brandywine00 for her incredible talents she so graciously lets me pester. Thanks to GoddessofBirth for letting me bounce titles off her, and for providing the winner. And thanks to the best surrogate big sister ever, Raevon. Love you tons, Sis!

Follows Chuck versus the Paranoia, Chuck versus the False Alarm, Chuck versus the Saint, and Chuck versus the Plan B. Bringing us around to end of Season 3 cannonish here. Because, if Ellie knew about Casey from sometime in early season 3, Justin's lies never would've worked.

Spoilers—Through the end of Season 3, with a very definite twist.

Chuck versus the Second Chance—Nothing is quite what it seems, but one thing is certain: family is everything.

He stood on the front porch, glancing around. This wasn't their first choice but it was their only choice at the moment. They needed to orchestrate something, and they couldn't do it from nothing. They had to move a few pieces, sacrifice a few pawns to ensure that their king won. And so he stood on the front porch, holding a blue file folder filled with top-secret information.

The woman that opened the door was understandably cautious. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm looking for Kathleen McHugh."

"And you are?" she asked, looking over the sandy-haired man, taking in the suit. Nothing too fancy but it wasn't ill-fitting either. He looked like he belonged in a suit. But, she'd had a strange enough year with people in and out of her home that she wasn't about to take a chance.

He held up his left hand, open and empty. "Reaching for my ID," he assured her before pulling a tanned leather wallet from his interior suit pocket. He held it out to her.

She regarded him coolly.

He nodded slightly.

She took it with one hand, flipping it open. The sunlight glinting off the badge was impressive as was the name of his agency. She looked up at him curiously. "CIA?"

"Agent Justin Sullivan. I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment. It's of the utmost, dire importance."

She hesitated for a moment but handed him back his ID and opened her door wider. "Come in, Agent Sullivan."

"Thank you, Ms. McHugh."

She rubbed at the back of her neck, guiding him towards her living room couch. "I'm not sure what the CIA would want with me..."

"This has to do with someone from your past. Someone who very much wants to interfere with your present," he said as they both sat down.

She looked at him disbelievingly. "Okay..."

"Alex Coburn."

She inhaled sharply. "Come... come again?"

"Alex Coburn, your high school sweetheart, correct? Your fiancé at one point in time?"

She nodded. "He died in 1989."

"Actually, he didn't," he said. He opened the file folder he'd brought with him. The pages within were the personnel records for one John Casey, formerly known as Alexander Coburn. Included in the dossier were photographs that spilled out onto the cushion between them. "Sorry about that," he said, though the action had been intentional.

Kathleen reached out numbly, selecting the top folder from the stack that had fallen. "This is the restaurant where my daughter works..."

"And the man seated there," he said, pointing towards the table by the wall with an adequate view of the front windows and all doors. "He's told her his name is John Casey. But it's not. It's Alexander Coburn."

"He... He died," she said again dumbly.

"We tried to protect you," Justin said softly. "He was a... a loose cannon within the Marines. He was trying to get into black ops, special forces... There's a certain degree of physical and mental toughness required for those kinds of assignments. He just wasn't making the cuts. He was furious. His old commanding officer discharged him dishonorably. That's why he adopted this new name. And recently..." He drew a ragged breath. "Recently, he found his old CO." Justin sifted through the pile of photographs, selecting one he knew would illicit the required response. "Once he found him, he killed him. Due to his mental instability, it was determined that the information you had, that you were pregnant... for the safety of yourself, of your daughter, he was never told. I can only assume that he tortured your former savior, the CO, and found out about the daughter..." He drew a slow breath. "He has been stalking her."

Her hands were trembling. Her heart pounded in her chest. "What... I... That wasn't... That wasn't my Alex..."

"The discharge probably caused the mental break," Justin said.

"What... what do I do? How can... How can I help?"

"Well, I think it's best to take your daughter into protective custody until we can subdue him, have him arrested."

"My daughter?"

Justin nodded.

"What... what about me?"

"Well, it seems as though he's not interested in rekindling an old romance. He's been spotted around town with another woman. This woman," he said, selecting a third photograph.

Kathleen looked at the younger woman in scrubs coming out of a local hospital.

It just... it just didn't sound like her Alex. Her Alex who had dreams and desires to follow in his father's footsteps, who wanted to make his family, his country proud. Her Alex who wanted to save the world, not destroy it.

But, war did strange things to people. She thought she'd be able to handle whatever it did to her future husband. She'd been so young and naive. She needed to protect her daughter. She looked up at Justin slowly. "You can keep her safe?"

He nodded.

Kathleen took a slow breath, looking again at the photos she held in her hand. The one of the doctor, the one of the dead man, and the one of her child with her former love. "Okay," she whispered.

Justin gathered up the photographs, snatching them out of her hand, putting them back in the folder and closing it. "I'll be in touch."

Stay tuned...

Lines from the next installment:

"Casey..."

He waited. His partner, Sarah Walker, didn't immediately continue her sentence. "Walker?"

"You're needed at the Castle," she said finally.

That was decidedly strange and unlike her, he decided. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah. Just, new mission, something a little... something a little different."

"All right. I'll be right there," he said before ending the call.

Ellie could see the confusion and concern in his blue eyes. "What is it?"

"Don't know yet," he said. "But, I have to go."

Duty called. Ellie understood. She was a doctor. Half the time she was running off after her own pager. She looked at the scattered targets on the floor, the spent ammunition. "I'll clean up."

Casey hesitated.

"International emergency. Go," she said, smiling softly at him.